HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 10,635 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

HighTower Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 344,966 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 10,635 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $78,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.5% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,179,715 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,429,000 after acquiring an additional 16,918 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $294,000. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 8.0% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 20,049 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,834,000 after acquiring an additional 1,477 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 1.8% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 10,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,649,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of BDX stock opened at $223.95 on Thursday. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 12-month low of $218.75 and a 12-month high of $251.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $232.90 and its 200 day moving average is $232.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. Research analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BDX. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $278.29.

Insider Activity

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. The trade was a 4.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Shan sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.00, for a total transaction of $120,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,840. The trade was a 8.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,423 shares of company stock valued at $1,239,780 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.